Report recommends extending services at Energy Court encampment

City council will vote Tuesday evening on whether to extend services for homeless people in the city for the summer season at the Energy Court encampment site. (File)

City council will vote Tuesday evening on whether to extend services for homeless people in the city for the summer season at the Energy Court encampment site.

A staff report recommends using $774,545 from the tax stabilization fund to pay for The Go-Give Project to operate 12 hours a day, seven days a week at the site, as well as to have washroom facilities available 24 hours a day.

Not only does the city want to provide a “compassionate response” for people facing mental health and addiction challenges, the report said the site is an important option for police.

“Greater Sudbury Police Services have also advised that their continued efforts to address concerns in the downtown area require a location to direct unsheltered individuals for services during daytime calls,” the report said.

Would run until Sept. 30

Police have “also partnered with Go-Give and other community outreach partners to locate individuals needing further support.”

If approved, the drop-in program at the Energy Court would run from May 1 until Sept. 30. Officials are hoping to receive provincial or federal funding to offset the cost of operating the program.

A count conducted Dec. 1, 2025, found that 70 people were living at the encampment in 39 tents. More recently, that number stood at 42 people living in 36 tents.

The drop-in program operated by Go-Give wouldn’t include outreach services, but staff on site would provide “essential services, including washrooms, water, snacks, referrals and space for meetings with community organizations.”

However, a contractor would be hired to monitor the 24-hour washroom service. But that contractor has said it would “withdraw services if there were health and safety concerns by their staff related to drug paraphernalia.”

The extended service is not intended to be permanent, the report said, but a stopgap measure until “new housing units that are coming on stream in 2026.”

Council will vote on the plan at its meeting at 6 p.m. tonight. Read the full report here.